USU grads run quickly growing Utah business
Four Cache Valley companies made the 2006 rankings for the 100 fastest growing companies in Utah, including one business founded by Utah State University graduates.
Married business partners Cami and Mike Boehme established their Logan-based branding firm in 1998 when they were both students at USU. Their company, Digital Slant, ranked at No. 68 on the list released in October.
Mountain West Capital Network awards and ranks companies with a minimum five-year revenue history based on sales growth, the company’s Web site states. Businesses apply for the award by submitting total yearly revenues and percent growth figures.
Cami Boehme, who also works in the journalism department as an adjunct professor, said she and her husband really love their jobs and that has had a significant effect on their success.
“Most of the time I’m just having fun with what I do,” she said.
Boehme said she found the recognition especially satisfying as she was one of the few female business owners on the list. “Business owner slash mom – that’s who I am,” she said.
Digital Slant is a branding firm that helps companies find their focus and get their message out, she said.
“We do what we call brand rejuvenation,” Boehme said. “We just help companies find who they are and express that.”
The owners of some businesses can get “tunnel-vision,” which she said can limit their company’s growth, but Digital Slant helps them to refocus when they stop growing and to redefine their markets and better target them.
The Boehmes have a list of about 150 clients, she said, though they try to limit the number of active clients to fewer than 10. By restricting the number of projects they work on, the six employees at Digital Slant can better serve their clients, she said.
“We always want to be a small company,” Boehme said. “A small company of really creative people.”
She said they are very particular about the clients they take on since some companies are out of their area of expertise. Once they have a client, the creative team comprehensively delves into each
project. Companies view Digital Slant as more of a partner than a vendor, Boehme said, as it serves as their marketing department, just in a separate building.
Digital Slant has done business for local companies like Casper’s Malt Shop and national companies like Nordic Track and Gold’s Gym.
The Boehmes started the company in 1998 when Cami’s last name was still Checketts. She and Mike were dating during that time and found they had similar ideas and goals. They started the company in August 1998.
“We were business partners before we were married,” she said.
Cami graduated with a degree in communications and Mike earned his degree in business information systems. The company started out very small, she said, with their first office located in her husband’s bedroom. They eventually moved to a tiny office they shared with a band, and then moved again to their current office near the Coppermill restaurant.
“We’ve been growing consistently from the beginning,” Boehme said.
They plan to become a “bigger player” in the creative industry and expand to include more types of work. Mike recently created a Web-based sister company that will appeal to more national clients.
The other Cache Valley companies in the Top 100 were JJ Cole Collections, Inovar Inc and New Dawn Technologies, Inc.
-mof@cc.usu.edu